How to Grow Shepherd's Purse? Latest Planting Methods and Timing Explained

Shepherd's purse is a type of wild vegetable, but wild shepherd's purse is becoming increasingly rare, so what appears on the market is basically all cultivated shepherd's purse. Due to the influence of different environments in different rugged terrains, there will also be a certain difference in its varieties and appearance. The planting method for shepherd's purse is relatively simple, and if you have nothing to do, you can also plant a little on your own balcony. So today what Qinnong Net wants to teach everyone is about the timing of shepherd's purse planting and the methods for planting shepherd's purse. Friends who are interested, let's take a look together.

Planting Time

General wild vegetables have relatively strong adaptability to the environment. After all, natural selection and survival of the fittest, with the unfit being eliminated, is the unchanging law of growth for all things in time. So shepherd's purse can be planted in three seasons a year. Generally, spring sowing is chosen between February and March, summer sowing is done around the beginning of August, and autumn is best chosen around September and October. Winter weather is relatively harsh, so the yield is not high, and generally no planting is done then.

Planting Methods

1. Land preparation

Shepherd's purse can be planted anywhere. It can be planted in patches, or you can use land resources to plant it in the gaps between other crops, or plant it on field ridges. However, if the goal is high yield, it is generally chosen to plant in patches. During land preparation, all weeds in the field need to be removed. Next, when turning the soil, try to dig as deep as possible to remove pathogens that may be carried in the deeper soil, then try to level the land as much as possible. If there are low-lying areas, fill the waterlogged spots with soil. Finally, spread a layer of organic compost or plant ash as base fertilizer, and land preparation is finished.

2. Sowing

Sowing at different periods may involve some changes. The main sowing method is broadcast sowing. When broadcasting, it should be spread relatively evenly. You cannot have some places too thick and other places with only a few seeds, so we generally mix the seeds with some fine sand or fine soil to achieve a strength that makes sowing more even. After sowing, we need to make the seeds press closely against the soil, which helps the seeds absorb water from the soil and sprout more quickly. Spring sowing requires no special consideration; just sow directly. Summer sowing has relatively high temperatures, so before sowing the land needs to be watered wet and then sown. In autumn, the seeds need to be artificially sprouted first before sowing.

3. Management

Shepherd's purse plants are not very large and tend to be slender, so weed control management is relatively difficult. We generally need to remove all weeds from the soil before sowing. If later, during the growth period of shepherd's purse, weeds appear in clusters, we can only pull them by hand, so it takes a relatively long time. Next, because shepherd's purse is planted in different periods, fertilizer and water management will also differ to a certain extent. The growth period of spring and summer shepherd's purse is relatively short, so during the entire growth process only two waterings and two fertilizations are needed. The autumn growth period is relatively long, and there may not be much rain, so you must always pay attention to its growth state and water and fertilize according to the situation. The fertilizer applied is generally organic fertilizer or farmyard manure, which can make the growth of shepherd's purse closer to natural, pollution-free growth.

4. Disease prevention

Generally speaking, wild vegetables do not have many diseases and have extremely strong disease resistance. If symptoms appear, they are just some beetles, cabbage worms, and leaf roller worms. They mainly live by eating leaves, so the most common control method is chemical control. Generally, trichlorfon or some pesticides with relatively low toxic substances are used for spraying, in order to preserve as much as possible the original, most natural quality of shepherd's purse.

5. Harvesting

Harvesting is done in batches. Generally, the growth cycle of shepherd's purse is about 30 to 45 days. Although they are sown at the same time, their later growth speeds vary, so we dig out the larger plants with their roots and leave the smaller ones to continue growing. After each harvest batch, an appropriate amount of fertilizer can be applied to promote the growth process. Finally, when harvesting the last batch, remember to keep seeds.